Shanggu Commandery City Falls

"Has the war progressed this far?"

Departing from Chang'an City, after flying over the Taihang Mountains in the middle of the night, Zhang Xuezhou saw sparks below.

The embers of the burned building were visible everywhere, while scattered torchlight continued to spread into the mountains.

The killings and fleeing scenes are depicted below, and this is not limited to a single area.

"How did you defend?"

The imperial court has ruled out the option of peace talks with the Xiong State, but the defensive faction still dominates.

The defensive philosophy of Han Anguo and others was not without merit, and the defensive benefits of the Great Han Dynasty over the past century were indeed quite high.

However, Han Anguo and his men probably did not anticipate that the fortified city walls would be breached, leading to a complete rout from the rear.

When the outermost shell is broken, it's almost like invading uninhabited territory.

A small city like Hibiscus City may have walls nearly ten meters thick, but a cavalry regiment of only five hundred men could break through them in a few charges. If led by a general skilled in martial arts, such an attack would be unstoppable.

"I'm afraid Lord Han will have to personally take to the front lines to defend!"

As the pillar of the defensive faction, Imperial Censor Han Anguo is very likely to be placed in a high-risk area for defense.

Ultimately, the new emperor's court is not a place where one can occupy a high position simply by speaking a few words and becoming an opinion leader; rather, it requires truly fulfilling the responsibility of speaking out.

The attacking faction will lead the charge, while the defensive faction will deploy troops for defense; neither side will have a peaceful and worry-free life.

"The wrath of this Xiong State... let you be arrogant for a while longer!"

Zhang Xuezhou turned his gaze westward.

He doesn't like to place his hopes on others, but he recognizes the importance of timing.

The alliance between Donghua and Western Sect against Zhu Jiuyin presents a window of opportunity. Seizing this window and launching a relentless attack could severely damage the Xiong State.

"It's a pity that Senior Brother Wu Chao failed to control the Xiong State; otherwise, if we joined forces, how could we not overthrow these three Sacred Land!"

Zhang Xuezhou's Sky Shuttle did not land.

Individuals can't do much in the chaos of war; they can save one person but not another.

He had already pushed the relocation of Zhang Household Village villagers to their limits; it even required the cooperation of Rong Tianding and others to complete the relocation of just over a hundred people. And there were countless other disaster victims below who were affected by the war.

The real solution to the problem is to end the war. If it cannot be ended through peace talks, then the war will only end when one side is driven to the brink of financial ruin.

"Demon Race... Tch!"

Zhang Xuezhou pondered the three Sacred Land and then considered the various faces within those Sacred Land.

Whether the Demon Race needs to demonstrate its value to wage war, seeks a place to live, or has other noble reasons, this world is not a civilization dominated by the Demon Race, which dooms the Demon Race to decline.

The Demon Race race needs to learn how to integrate into human society, just like Kong Ning. Even an outcast like Zhang Xuezhou seeks integration rather than building his own power to fight and kill.

Having experienced the erosion of modern society by fire-meteor creatures, Zhang Xuezhou does not have an excessive sympathy for racial issues. No matter how difficult it is for either side, whichever group of beings is the main force in the development of civilization in this world, then that group must be the main focus.

The Imperial Shuttle streaked across the night sky with a purple light, finally arriving at Mount Tai at dawn.

Outside the Taishan Fujun Daoist temple, there were piles of building materials, indicating that the imperial court personnel had also arrived at Taishan and were likely carrying out simple construction work in this secret location.

"Everyone, go back and get some rest. We'll come back tomorrow night to measure and plan the construction!"

Rong Tianding's voice came, and several pale-faced construction workers stepped out of the Yellow Springs on stilts.

The construction of the Taishan Fujun Daoist temple required working at night. The secret place was filled with yin Yin Qi, which chilled people to the bone. This task was extremely torturous.

Of course, the construction of the Taishan Fujun Daoist temple by the crowd had no practical significance.

This secret place is not suitable for normal people to cultivate. Building a few houses here is of little use. Moreover, the difficulty of involving three secret places with the Taishan Fujun Daoist Temple is extremely high. Even if Zhang Xuezhou knew the true nature of the secret place, he would find it difficult to take action.

"Lord Dongfang!"

"Lord Dongfang, this secret place is filled with a dark and gloomy aura; it is the training ground of High Antiquity practitioner of corpse magic!"

"This secret realm has endured numerous conflicts and struggles, and its entire ecosystem has been destroyed!"

"Without practicing the art of corpse refining and nurturing, this secret realm is practically worthless!"

When Zhang Xuezhou called out to Rong Tianding, many officials who noticed Zhang Xuezhou spoke up, clearly hoping that Zhang Xuezhou would show leniency and not engage in large-scale construction that would be a waste of time.

"Shanggu County has fallen!"

After everyone had finished complaining, Zhang Xuezhou gave a brief response, which immediately dispelled all the resentment in everyone's hearts.

Although it is unknown whether the imperial court has a need for corpse refining or corpse making, it is normal for cultivators skilled in construction to be dispatched to other areas if they are not working in Mount Tai.

Conditions in Mount Tai were harsh, but compared to war zones like Shanggu County, it was far better, at least sparing them from the death that comes with conscription.

"Our Great Han's city walls were built to a sufficient height, and we have garrisoned them. How could they have been breached by the Xiong State?"

A group of people were somewhat apprehensive and stopped complaining about the conditions at Mount Tai, but some were genuinely concerned about the situation on the frontier.

"Perhaps the Xiong State's army was too strong, or perhaps it was a man-made disaster; who knows?"

Zhang Xuezhou shook his head.

He witnessed the flames of war, he heard Han Anguo's theories, and he clearly understood that the walls of the Great Han Dynasty meant a formidable pass to the Xiong State.

Shanggu County was a top-tier strategic pass. Li Guang once stationed his troops there, and the Xiong State only dared to stay at a distance.

Li Guang's presence in Shanggu County served as a deterrent, but without Li Guang, Shanggu County was not as formidable as one might imagine.

With the Flying Feather Army led by Li Guang removed, the quality of the other legions in the Northern Border was questionable, and the practice of cutting corners from top to bottom made it difficult to motivate soldiers to risk their lives for a little money.

Zhang Xuezhou couldn't say whether the Xiong State was too strong or the problem lay in the Great Han Dynasty's own insufficient control, but he was certain that the new emperor would seize this opportunity to reorganize and adjust.

Without unparalleled cultivation strength, cultivators are merely individuals with greater killing power in such turmoil, unable to change the situation. Only emperors who lead dynasties can alter fate.

Like the lead sheep of a flock, the choices and methods of the new emperor will have a profound impact, even determining the fate of the Great Han Dynasty.

"His Majesty should know this in his heart!"

Seeing the somewhat stunned crowd, Zhang Xuezhou added a sentence.

His eyes swept over the crowd, and a thought suddenly struck him.

Shanggu County was a top-tier frontier city of the Han Dynasty. The fall of such a city would have an extremely high impact on people, no less than the fall of Western Capital City or Blanpeda.

Zhang Xuezhou's cultivation level was already extremely high. He could clearly discern the direction in the face of war and patiently wait for an opportunity, but others were different.

Caught in the torrent of war, even those in the highly safe Taishan region, with their families, friends, and colleagues, ultimately could not escape the effects of war.

It's disheartening to know something is wrong but be unable to change it; no amount of anger can alter the facts.

Zhang Xuezhou's own sense of powerlessness in the war was limited, not as intense as those of these people.

Zhang Xuezhou could sense a strong sense of powerlessness in these people.

This sense of powerlessness is not physical strength, but a lack of guidance; not knowing how to contribute one's talents, and even more so lacking a sense of direction for the Great Han Dynasty, completely unaware of how the court will respond.

Many readers have asked about update schedules, so I'll explain again: I can only resume updating three times a week after I recover from my illness. Updating twice a week is still quite difficult for me. The symptoms of H1N1 and COVID-19 are almost identical. In the early stages of this illness, I feel completely drained, confined to bed, with body aches and recurring fevers. It takes two to three days of oseltamivir to relieve the symptoms. After that, it's a process of regaining strength, accompanied by a sharp, piercing throat; coughing is incredibly exhausting. These symptoms last for about ten to fifteen days, and no medication can truly alleviate them. I've already finished five bottles of dextromethorphan, one bottle of Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa, three boxes of cough syrup, one box of cough medicine, and two bottles of Kang En Bei cough syrup (enough for three people in my family). Currently, I've been updating twice a week for about half a month, and it might continue for another ten days or so (the exact time is uncertain, as I'm still coughing; my body's immunity needs to recover before I have enough energy). I will resume updates once I'm feeling better.